Description

The Buena Vista Social Club performs in Veradero Cuba. The Buena Vista Social Club was a members club in Havana, Cuba that held dances and musical activities, becoming a popular location for musicians to meet and play during the 1940s. In the 1990s, nearly 50 years after the club was closed, it inspired a recording made by Cuban musician Juan de Marcos González and American guitarist Ry Cooder with traditional Cuban musicians, some of whom were veterans who had performed at the club during the height of its popularity. The recording, named Buena Vista Social Club after the Havana institution, became an international success, and the ensemble performed in Amsterdam and Carnegie Hall, New York City for a documentary called Buena Vista Social Club. The movie received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary feature and won Best Documentary at the European Film Awards. The success of both the album and film sparked a revival of international interest in traditional Cuban music.